Radio First Termer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Radio First Termer was a pirate radio station which operated in January 1971 in Saigon during the Vietnam War.
The station was hosted by a United States Air Force sergeant[1] (born 1948-08-15[2]) calling himself "Dave Rabbit".[2] The two other members of the crew were known as "Pete Sadler" and "Nguyen". Their real names are unknown.
After three tours in Vietnam, "Dave Rabbit" and his friends launched Radio First Termer from a secret studio in a Saigon brothel at 20:00 on New Year's Day, 1971. The station broadcast for 63 hours[2] over 21 days (between 1 January 1971 and 21 January 1971[3]).
The station played "hard acid rock" such as Steppenwolf, Bloodrock, Three Dog Night, Led Zeppelin, Sugarloaf, the James Gang, and Iron Butterfly, bands which were popular among the troops but largely ignored by the American Forces Vietnam Network. The music was mixed with antiwar commentary, skits poking fun at the U.S. Air Force, Lyndon B. Johnson, and raunchy sex and drug oriented jokes.[1]
The posting of sound clips from a Radio First Termer broadcast on the internet during the late 1990s renewed interest in the station. In February 2006 "Dave Rabbit" came forward and told his story. He also did an interview for a bonus feature which will go with the DVD release of the film Sir! No Sir! which is about the G.I. counterculture during the Vietnam era.
Although the frequency was always called FM69, in reality the show was broadcasted over numerous frequencies, in addition to FM69 as selected by the Radio Relay troops across Vietnam. It was also broadcasted over numerous AM frequencies, including 690 AM.
[edit] External links
- Dave Rabbit's Official Podcast Home Page
- List of songs in the only known copy of an episode
- Radio First Termer home page with audio samples and Dave Rabbit interview
- Vietnam War Pirate DJ Dave Rabbit Has Finally Come Forward
